Prima Games is Shutting Down in 2019

November 9, 2018Written by Lucas White

Prima Games, the company we all know for making increasingly lavish strategy guides for nearly every major video game release, is shutting its doors. The long-running company, which has run for 28 years and even acquired competitor Brady Games along the way, will be closing all of its offices in Spring 2019. Prima is running this long to finish outstanding projects, but parent company DK has ceased commissions for new guides as of yesterday.

DK CEO Ian Hudson released an internal memo making the announcement, according to a report from Publishers Weekly. Here is a quote from that memo:

“During a year-long extensive review, many new ways were explored to diversify Prima Games publishing; however, the dynamics for us of this fast-paced landscape have continued to prove difficult. This enormously dedicated team has made every effort to turn the business around, but challenging market conditions have unfortunately worked against them.”

Print strategy guides for video games have been struggling for a while now, against the likes of online content such as video walkthroughs, wiki guides, and more. Prima Games opted to aim for the collectors’ market, with high-quality, hardcover books that often came packed in with extras and bonuses like art, controller skins, and more.

According to a report from Publishers Marketplace, DK declined to note how many will be affected by this closure, but a look at LinkedIn suggest that Prima Games employed at least 40 people.